LouAnne Johnson's newest book is a collection of fun and simple educational icebreaker activities that get students excited and engaged from the very first minute of class. These activities are great to use with students at all levels, and many of the activities include variations and modifications for different groups. Research has shown that the…

Categorical perception (CP) is a mechanism whereby non-identical stimuli that have the same underlying meaning become invariantly represented in the brain. Through behavioral identification and discrimination tasks, CP has been demonstrated to occur broadly across the auditory modality, including in perception of speech (e.g. phonemes) and music…

Listening skills are fundamental in the author's approach to teaching music to children. As a Suzuki instructor, the author is always looking for ways to help students listen more effectively. This article sets forth ways listening can be fostered, both in private instrumental study and in general music preschool and elementary classrooms. The…

In "RTI & Differentiated Reading in the K-8 Classroom," the authors argue that whole-group reading instruction in general education classes is no longer an appropriate learning environment. They outline three innovations that educators can integrate to dramatically improve reading instruction from kindergarten through the upper elementary…

Between the two hemispheres of the brain, structural and functional differences are called cerebral lateralization that can affect the skill performance of both arms in a different way, which is called handedness. Approximately 90% of people are right-handed and they use the right hand for most skillful activities. Interestingly, recent studies…

Previous neuroimaging studies that have examined autobiographical memory specificity have utilized retrieval cues associated with prior searches of the event, potentially changing the retrieval processes being investigated. In the current study, musical cues were used to naturally elicit memories from multiple levels of specificity (i.e., lifetime…

The arts play an important role in human development, enhancing the growth of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor pathways. Neuroscience research reveals the impressive impact of arts instruction, such as, music, drawing and physical activity, on students' cognitive, social and emotional development. Much of what young children do as…

Auditory-based communication skills are developed at a young age and are maintained throughout our lives. However, some individuals--both young and old--encounter difficulties in achieving or maintaining communication proficiency. Biological signals arising from hearing sounds relate to real-life communication skills such as listening to speech in…

This dissertation studies the neural basis of song, a universal human behavior. The relationship of words and melodies in the perception of song at phonological, semantic, melodic, and rhythmic levels of processing was investigated using the fine temporal resolution of Electroencephalography (EEG). The observations reported here may shed light on…

This article focuses on role of music education. If the society has changed how it values music, it is certainly worthwhile to reevaluate the role music should play in the education and development of a child. Children are not predisposed to be able to understand one style of music over another. Rather they learn traits of the style of their…

The learning of jazz improvisation is often treated as the incorporation of stylistic vocabulary and development of technical dexterity. Although this methodology is effective, considering other aspects of jazz improvisation can make the learning process a more holistic and less technical endeavour. My experience teaching improvisation has led me…

The following paper addresses the responses that the learner has to changes in the learning environment that enhance instruction. While theorists have supported the notion that instruction embedded in sensory-filled, brain-based and hands-on activities, classrooms remain unchanged in many, if not most interactions. What can we do to wake up…

Stress is a major health problem in urban neighborhoods, but integrating the arts into education can help children deal with stress. Stress reduces or eliminates a child's ability to learn by increasing the production of cortisol in the brain, while working in the arts has been shown to produce endorphin, which counteracts the effects of cortisol.…

There are close relationships between brain activities and educational technology. Brain is very important and so complicated part in our bodies. From long time scientists pay attention to that part and did many experiments, but they just reached little information like a drop in the sea. However from time to time they gave us some light to…

Discusses the importance of music for brain development, pleasure, retention and motivation, and problem solving and critical thinking. Describes methods for including music in education that are related to music acquisition. Suggests classroom music activities and notes the importance of making instruments available, displaying written music, and…